Over 150 NHBRC employees face lifestyle audits
Image: Sisonke Mlamla / Cape Argus
THE National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) has referred more than 150 employees for lifestyle audits.
This decision comes on the heels of increased scrutiny regarding the council's operations, particularly following the catastrophic building collapse in George earlier this year.
During a briefing to the Human Settlements Portfolio Committee, Department Director-General Alec Moemi disclosed that the lifestyle audits were initiated in response to a directive from former minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, as part of broader measures targeting entities under the department's purview. 'Initially, we focused on three of the six entities, and the others have since been asked to begin their audits,' Moemi said.
'Unlike in the public sector, where executives must declare their income and assets annually, employees in entities like the NHBRC are required to complete these forms only once,' he said.
In a first round of checks concerning 82 executives and management personnel, only two employees were flagged for further investigation, while the remaining 80 were cleared. The next phase involved 216 inspectors, supply chain, and finance personnel, from which 152 were referred for further scrutiny.
These 152 employees will undergo interviews where they must clarify discrepancies regarding flagged unexplained matters disclosed during the audit.
Concerns regarding the lifestyle audit process have also arisen from trade unions, who complained about not being consulted and raised questions regarding data privacy and the adherence to protocols set by the Information Regulator.
Deputy Minister Thandi Mahambehlala acknowledged this oversight. 'Our goal is to establish a seamless process in such a litigious environment,' Mahambehlala said.
While details regarding the cost of the lifestyle audit and the identities of the involved service providers remain undisclosed, Moemi clarified that accountability measures are in place. 'If selection was mishandled, there will be consequences,' he said.
Cape Times
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
3 days ago
- The South African
Truecaller under investigation for violating THIS law
A fascinating case is underway that sees Truecaller under investigation for violating the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). For those who are unaware, Truecaller is an excellent mobile app that helps identify unknown, direct marketer and spam callers. However, as of this week, the Information Regulator confirms it has put Truecaller under investigation. Direct marketers are complaining that the Trucaller app harms their businesses by flaging their numbers and sharing their information illegally. South Africans use the Truecaller app extensively to identify unknown calls, especially from call centre agents. The technology behind it uses an AI-based system that identifies and flags unwanted calls. However, the Information Regulator now confirms that Truecaller is being accused of interfering with the running of these direct-marketing companies, reports The Citizen . 'Only upon conclusion of the investigation will we make a pronouncement. The complainant alleges that Truecaller interferes with these companies' right to privacy,' confirmed the regulator. Meanwhile, law experts say the regulator would need to see concrete data showing that businesses have been affected by the mobile app. The privacy of information act, created to uphold the privacy of citizens, might be successfully used to uphold the rights of direct marketing companies. Image: File With Truecaller under investigation in South Africa, a fascinating case will ensue. The Information Regulator has very strict guidelines for direct marketers. As such, citizens have every right not to be contacted unwillingly. Therefore, the complainants must show a direct link that Truecaller is harming their business. But there's another side to the coin, because law experts say a strong argument can be made that Truecaller is at odds with several POPIA provisions. If a call centre phones a customer, and the number comes up as spam, naturally the customer won't answer that call. Here in lies the conundrum. How does a call centre then contact a customers and prevent Truecaller from reflecting the number as spam? Another way to shield yourself from spam calls is the Direct Marketing Association's opt-out service. Image: File As such, the Information Regulator needs to strike a balance between data privacy and people's rights still to do business. However, you can also be proactive in getting rid of unwanted spam. If you want to opt out from direct marketing calls, visit The Direct Marketing Association's opt-out service. Simply register your details, and those who are members of the association will no longer contact you. Nevertheless, with Truecaller under investigation for POPIA violations, the regulator's outcome will set a precedent for other tech platforms in South Africa. The regulator has previously fined companies as much as R5 million for breaches of POPIA. If found non-compliant, Truecaller might face similar or higher fines and/or data deletion enforcements. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
'We are the voice of the people,' Truecaller says amid probe over privacy
SA companies and individuals have lodged a complaint against Truecaller for violating Popia. Call screening app, Truecaller, has refuted claims that their app harms businesses, saying every individual has an 'inherent fundamental right to know who is calling them and the company enables their users to exercise it'. This comes after the Information Regulator confirmed it is investigating a complaint against Truecaller by several companies and individuals for violating the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia). South Africans use the app extensively to identify unknown calls, especially from call centre agents. However, companies have complained that the Trucaller app harms their businesses because it flags their numbers and charges a fee to whitelist them. Truecaller responds However, the company has denied the allegations. An official Truecaller spokesperson told The Citizen that its mission is to 'empower users and make their communication safe and trustworthy.' 'We uphold the highest standards of data practices, whether it's about putting users in control of the information they share with us, minimising what data is processed through our servers or even the ability to completely remove themselves from Truecaller without any restrictions whatsoever. 'Truecaller is about providing users with safety in communication. The notion about whitelisting is completely false,' Trucaller said. ALSO READ: SA companies lodge complaint against Truecaller app for violating Popia Whitelisting The spokesperson added that businesses cannot pay Truecaller for any sort of whitelisting services. 'Truecaller does not offer any sort of whitelisting service to any person or business, in any region, regardless of any fee. If a business spams Truecaller users, and users report it as a spammer, it will be marked as a spammer. It is our job to protect people from unwanted communication, and we will always uphold that promise,' the spokesperson said. Patriotic While Truecaller is a call screening app, the company emphasised a patriotic stance reminiscent of a political party. 'We are the voice of the people and allow them to choose who is a spammer and who is not. The fee that Truecaller charges is for the 'Truecaller for Business' service, which allows them to verify their correct business name and include a logo with their Truecaller profile.' 'Upon validating their ownership of the given number with Truecaller, they also receive a verified business badge, the spokesperson said. ALSO READ: South Africa's Information Regulator acts against FT Rams over privacy law breach The spokesperson said this ensures users know that the number has been validated by Truecaller, and it belongs to the business to which it is attributed. This, it says, helps avoid scams and impersonation-type fraud. Trucaller offers three paid packages for its services, Premium, Family and Gold with subscriptions starting at R199 per year for Premium to R1 490 per year for the Gold package. Lawyers weigh in Werksmans Attorneys director Ahmore Burger-Smidt said the call screening app was at odds with several Popia provisions. However, law firm Norton Rose Fulbright's Rosalind Lake told The Citizen the Information Regulator would need to show a direct link that businesses have been affected by the Truecaller app. ALSO READ: Information regulator slaps DoJ with R5m fine for contravening privacy act
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
Cold-callers vs Truecaller: Who's really the victim?
Popia does not exist for many in the cold-calling industry, so why should we suddenly care that companies may be slightly prejudiced by Truecaller? One reaction to the news that some companies complained to the Information Regulator because the Truecaller app harms their business by revealing their phone numbers, is: you have to be kidding. These companies are the ones who invade your privacy by calling you at all hours with sales pitches in what could be a violation of Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia). Some of them obtain your contact details in dubious ways, too. And yet now they are the victims? The companies are upset that Truecaller flags their numbers as 'spam' if users have flagged them as such… and that the app charges a fee to 'whitelist' them. ALSO READ: SA companies lodge complaint against Truecaller app for violating Popia Experts say, though, that there's another side to the issue. If a company genuinely wants to contact a customer – as opposed to pitching for new business – and it is flagged, the call will automatically be blocked by Truecaller. However, if that was really the case, we would say there are multiple channels to use to contact customers – via e-mail or messaging apps, for example. Popia does not exist for many in the cold-calling industry, so why should we suddenly care that companies may be slightly prejudiced by Truecaller? Stop annoying people and maybe we'd feel more sympathetic.
